A Co Antrim grandmother has told how the Northern Ireland Hospice supported her family in their darkest hour last Christmas Eve.

June Smyth's husband Roy was battling stomach cancer last year when his condition took a turn for the worse in the run up to Christmas.

A family friend, who is involved in the hospice, recommended that the 74-year-old spend time in the hospice over Christmas.

As the grandfather-of-three's condition deteriorated, hospice staff were on hand to care for him and his family in his final days.

June, from Doagh outside Ballyclare, told Belfast Live she will be eternally grateful to the Northern Ireland Hospice and wanted to raise awareness for the work they do, especially at Christmas.

"He could not eat so the doctor said to me he thought he would benefit from the hospice nurse coming in," said June.

"So Mary started to come in and it was great to have someone just to chat to, who understood what I was going through as well as what Roy was going through.

"She was great. When his medication wasn't working, he was still being sick, she got it changed for us.

"He got worse and I rang the doctor again and the doctor came out on the Monday and said he would change his medication and we would see if that would work but it didn't.

"By this time it was Christmas Eve and the girl who is the director of the hospice, she's my friend's daughter, and one of her sister's called here on Christmas Eve and said she wanted to come and see my husband but I said he wasn't well.

"She must have called Heather because she came down and said she thought he would benefit from going into the hospice. At that point we didn't think he was going to die.

"She said if anything happened over Christmas, what would we do. To be honest I was relieved because he was wasting away in front of my eyes."

Roy, who was married to June for 54 years, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in April 2014 after getting pains in his chest.

He underwent chemotherapy in order to shrink the cancer, but sadly it did not work. The cancer spread to his liver and doctors said although they could not cure him, they could contain the cancer.

June said she thought she was building his strength up for more treatment, but the cancer was aggressive and after Roy went into the hospice, his condition deteriorated rapidly.

"They took him in and everyone was so kind and thoughtful," she said.

"No one knows what they do until they have to go there. Those people do anything to make life easier for the patient and their family.

"They took Roy in on Christmas Eve and got him all sorted on Christmas Day. We went down, me and my daughter and her children. Paul Clark from UTV was there and went round and spoke to everyone, he was lovely.

"Roy was brought in and was able to eat a little bit, it was great. The staff are so supportive and would do anything for us, anything to make life easier.

"That was the Wednesday he went in, then on Tuesday the specialist asked me and my daughter to come in to see him in the hospice.

"Again, even though they were giving us bad news, they were so caring. He had been in touch with the oncologist and Roy was not getting better and the cancer had spread and it was very rapid.

"Roy had been in and out of hospital, and no doubt the hospitals were great, but he said he couldn't sleep as the nurses were so busy running from patient to patient.

"He said the hospice was so peaceful. The place was like a home from home, I could be there as long as I wanted. I was worried about going home and that Roy would pass away when I went but they said if they felt he was getting worse they would call me."

Roy passed away on January 2 and again the staff were by his family's side to support them through those difficult last hours.

"We just sat and held his hand and the nurses stayed with us. It is hard when someone passes away but they make it easier, as much as they can for families.

"I really do not know what I would have done without them.

"You feel so safe when you are in the hospice, I felt safe and I was able to relax and talk to my husband. At home I was so worked up because he wasn't eating. It was rough but how I would have got through it without the hospice I don't know."

June is now trying to raise money for the hospice after the care they give her husband in his final days. She said nothing could describe what the staff did for her family.

"I think people sometimes think that the hospice is just somewhere you go to die, but it's not," she said.